On some levels, the comparison might be correct. Meaning, the behavior pattern does seem to be similar. But still, my personal experience varies.

For me, addiction meant needing to get high 24/7. And, in my paranoid state of mind, I would aimlessly walk the streets of Chicago, looking for places to get high.

Although I was never arrested, my behavior by all accounts should have gotten me killed. I hid under bridges, under houses (with people living in them), in train track depots, and in all sorts of reclusive places. My mind was in a completely different reality, paralyzed in regards to rational thinking.

It's not insulting to addicts like myself for people to compare drug addiction to cult addiction. But, Mike Finch makes an excellent point that cult activity more closely resembles such behavioral addictions as gambling and sex, not drug addictions.

It's the recovery process that seems to be very similar, not the using part.